


To Build A Home

by Tatsumaki_sama



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Families of Choice, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:13:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4911973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumaki_sama/pseuds/Tatsumaki_sama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It took time but they were all on their way to recovery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Build A Home

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been stuck in the depths of my computer for a long time with only bits of it completed and I'm happy to say I've finally had the time to finish it. This idea emerged when I imagined Raleigh and Mako living together after the movie and then I thought, Herc should live with them too. And since I remain deeply in denial, why not have Chuck live with them too?

The idea took root at Chuck's bedside in the medical bay.

 

With the Breach sealed and no more battles to fight, the remaining four pilots were initially at a lost at what to do.

 

Herc was set to retire from his brief position as the Marshall and he wanted to spend as much time with his recovering son. Raleigh and Mako, still shaken from grief at the loss of loved ones and weariness from dealing with nosy reporters and demanding officials, said they too want to leave. And then Herc suggested, why not live with them for a while until they get settled. They agreed.

 

The honourable discharge and pensions between the four of them were more than enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives and they were tired of crowded cities and Shatterdomes too near the ocean. They wanted to see grass and hills and rivers. They wanted to breathe clean air, see across fields and let Max run down the rocky country roads.

 

They wanted to avoid the populated areas for now. And for hours, the three of them poured over maps and websites, feeling much like tourists taking an extended vacation. Chuck provided suggestions when he wasn't sleeping off from the combined power of his medications and his injuries. More than once, he nodded off in the middle of a conversation and continued to talk when he woke up again.

 

Herc, Mako and Raleigh were debating about whether they should go to United States or Europe when Chuck stirred. “ Heard England's countryside is nice,” Chuck mumbled, continuing a conversation that had ended over seven hours ago.

 

And so it was decided.

 

~.~.~

 

They found a cottage big enough for the four of them about an hour's drive away from the nearest city. There was a lot of work still to be done. Paint was peeling off the walls and dusty shelves, tables and chairs were left in disarray by the last owners. There was only two usable mattresses and the couch looked like an animal had a tussle with it. Part of the roof was leaking, some doors refused to open and the sink and toilet didn't work the way it was supposed to.

 

Raleigh and Mako arrived there first as Herc waited with Chuck in the Shatterdome until the doctors cleared him. They managed to remove all traces of cobwebs, threw out the couch and fixed the plumbing by the time the Hansens came two weeks later.

 

They were thankful that Herc had some skill with fixing the roof because it had rained once during the two weeks and the dripping kept both of them up all night. While Chuck couldn't do any heavy lifting due to his casts, he helped re-paint the walls. Even Max contributed with chasing away and bounding after any critter found in the house (especially the memorable time where Raleigh investigated the garage and was nearly attacked by a troublesome fox).

 

There was always something else to fix, restore and clean around in the house. It kept them all busy throughout the day and when they collapsed into the beds or the couch or the sleeping bag at night, they slept soundly for the first time in years.

 

~.~.~

 

Their mornings had a set pattern to them.

 

Herc would be the first one up, rising at five in the morning, which he considered sleeping in, considering his previous sleeping habits. He would head for the kitchen and find the plates and cutlery Mako had placed in the recently polished cabinets and drawers. Chuck and Raleigh managed to put up the new stove and oven a few days ago and they were all relieved to eat something warm for breakfast.

 

By the time the pancakes were sizzling on the pan, Raleigh would rise from the couch,rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. And by the time the coffee was ready, Mako was finished with the shower with a delighted look at the blueberry pancakes Herc made specifically for her.

 

Chuck would be the last to emerge from his room, a hungry Max having jumped on his chest to get him going. They teased him for sleeping in so late but he usually yawned a “shut up” in reply.

 

(but they all quietly pleased at how his cheeks had a healthier glow compared to the sickly yellow tint a month ago and the way he ravenously wolfed his father's pancakes, eggs and toast when previously all he could take in was sips of water)

 

~.~.~

 

Raleigh fell in love with the beauty of the countryside. He drank in all the sights with a deep inhale, feeling at peace. His fingers itched to capture the landscape and before he knew it, he got a sketchbook.

 

He found a comfortable spot not too far from the cottage underneath a tree with a wavering stream nearby. And almost every day after his morning or afternoon walk, he sat down to draw out what he had seen. A herd of deer at the forest's edge. A car driving by the jagged road. A rolling of hills with the grass blown by a gentle breeze.

 

Sometimes Mako joined him and they would sit quietly listening to Mako's MP3 and watching Raleigh draw. They wouldn't say a word but neither of them needed to. Other times, Chuck, Herc and Max came and it would be filled with noises, the sound of Max running, Chuck cheering on Max, Herc laughing. Raleigh did his best to capture the moment.

 

On occasion, he tried to sketch out old memories. His mother at the kitchen when she was feeling well enough to cook. His sister curled up on the sofa, chatting away on the phone. Yancy laughing as he drank from the bar.

 

He became frustrated that there would always be something wrong with these pictures. His mother didn't tilt her head that way when she cooked. Jazmine's eyes didn't crinkle like that when she talked. Yancy didn't hold his beer correctly as he chortled. Somehow, someway, Raleigh found an imperfection that ruined the picture.

 

One afternoon after he had crumbled his latest drawing in disappointment, Mako suggested that perhaps his memories weren't entirely faithful. After all, given enough time, even the fondest memories might be remembered differently. She smiled softly as she traced a finger over Raleigh's mother and reminisced how her father's eyes tinkled with laughter.

 

So instead, Raleigh drew Mako's parents next to him, his mother and siblings next to her. It was a strange photo, something neither he or her had ever witnessed, even in wishful dreaming, where their families were happy and smiling together with them as if no war had ever torn them apart.

 

It looked perfect.

 

~.~.~

 

They went to town twice a week for Chuck's physiotherapist and during those two hours while Herc usually stayed with his son, the other two would go and buy groceries. Once Chuck and Herc were done, then all four of them would go and explore the town, visiting the shops and stores.

 

Shopping for clothing was usually a treat, considering the plain shirts and pants they received from PPDC. Herc and Raleigh exchanged amused looks as Chuck and Mako tried to figure out sizes and why there were so many numbers on these tags and which color they should choose. By the time they leave, they each ended up with a stack of colorful shirts, sweaters, jeans and pants.

 

Another thing about having their own house with more space compared to the compressed rooms of the Shatterdomes was that they could actually buy and spend money on things they couldn't have kept before. Mako immediately bought the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Chronicles of Narnia and from the way her eyes are drinking in the sight of books, she was prepared to buy the entire book store if she needed to. Chuck surprisingly decided to pick up The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because he saw his father read it in the Drift and wanted to see if it was good.

 

Herc was more interested in buying CDs of AC/DC, the Rolling Stones and the Who and he blasted all their songs in the car as soon as he got the chance. Raleigh hoarded box sets of shows he used to watch like The Band of Brothers, Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who and he would later spend hours watching episode after episode until Herc finally growled at him to turn off the television so he could sleep.

 

Their little car groaned under the additional weight after each trip but it always managed to bring them all home.

 

~.~.~

 

Chuck's therapist recommended that he should do something productive to help with coping with the trauma and anxiety following his survival. He found it useless advice, seeing how he couldn't do much with his casts hampering his arm and leg. Eventually, Mako suggested that there was still a lot of work to be done in the backyard and he could help restore it.

 

At first, it was tedious and dull. Pulling out weeds, cutting overgrown vines, throwing out rotted foliage and nursing sore fingers made Chuck's mouth curl unpleasantly. But once those were cleared out and there was room to see soil, his attitude changed.

 

He had never thought about planting a garden before. Food at the Shatterdomes, despite their blandness and repetition, was enough to satisfy him. But now, with the option of tending to and growing fresh food out of the land, it sparked curiosity and fascination.

 

Max was a great help, digging ditches and holes for Chuck to place the seeds in. Raleigh and Mako helped with watering and Herc poured the fertilizer wherever Chuck directed him. It wasn't before long that Chuck forgot about the aches and pains of his body that plagued him as he checked every square inch to see if anything emerged.

 

After weeks of frustrating dormancy, tiny leaves wiggled out of the dirt (and if Chuck nearly tripped over his cast in his excitement to tell the others, they would only smile in amusement). Freshly grown tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and onions soon became a highlight to each meal. The others delightfully made requests of zucchini, peas, carrots, parsley, potatoes and mint and to comply, he grabbed as many packets of seeds as he could from the stores.

 

It wasn't long before Chuck started thinking about planting an apple or a peach tree and wanting to transform the once desolate and abandoned yard into a vibrant garden full of vegetables and fruits.

 

And it wasn't long before their little house started having little pots and jars of plants and flowers blossoming and growing, adding color and life to their once empty house.

 

~.~.~

 

Someone brought up the idea that they should learn how to drive a car. Herc was the only one who had a license and the other three had no time to think about getting one, what not with dealing with the invading Kaiju and being too busy piloting Jaegers. One afternoon with the house almost done, Herc rounded them up to practice driving. It would be good, he told the apprehensive Mako and Raleigh. Chuck couldn't participate yet but he watched with Max on the front porch.

 

Raleigh nearly backed up into the garage door as he practised reversing and somehow managed to turn on the radio and window wipers in his panic. Mako did slightly better but even she almost knocked over the mailbox when she stepped on the gas pedal rather than the brakes. As he tried to calm his stuttering heart, Herc couldn't understand how two of the most talented Jaeger pilots he had known couldn't figure out how a car worked.

 

Mako was endlessly apologizing. Raleigh looked like he never wanted to get behind the wheel again. Chuck was laughing so hard he was doubling over, clutching his stomach. And Herc was wondering how did he get stuck with these three children.

 

(and a part of him loved every bit of it)

 

~.~.~

 

Nightmares came as they pleased, tormenting Chuck during the waking hours of the darkness.

 

He would wake up gasping and choking because there was no oxygen in the pod and water was burning his skin and he could feel the Kaiju's claws digging into his chest. During those nights, he would wake up everyone with his strangled screams and Max's distressed barks and they would rush in to see him bathed in sweat and twisting and thrashing under his blankets.

 

Herc would be there first to grab Chuck's hand from scratching his neck bloody. His free hand would brush back Chuck's sweat-soaked hair and he whispered soothing words only for Chuck's ears. If he was lucky, Chuck would hear him through the nightmares and fall back to an uneasy sleep. If he wasn't, Chuck would fight him harder, arms splayed out as if reaching and fighting unseen things.

 

Mako and Raleigh would often stand at the doorway, fearfully remembering how Chuck had coded twice – once on the helicopter and another on the surgical table. Max would frenziedly yelp and howl and race around their ankles. Sometimes Herc needed help to hold down his son. Other times Chuck would scream out for Stacker Pentecost and Mako would need to leave the room.

 

Sometimes when Chuck was able to breathe again, he would be disoriented and groggy, eyes glazed and head lolling, almost as if he was drugged. At those times, they cannot help but feel a trickle of dread at the back of their necks when Chuck would look at Herc and demand where his father was.

 

By morning, Chuck refused to talk about it and shrugged off their attempts to try to. But he quietly let Herc and Raleigh mother him over breakfast and he gratefully accepted Mako's offers to reapply his torn bandages.

 

~.~.~

 

Raleigh had nightmares too but he hid them better due to years of experience. He was careful not to wake the snoring Herc where he was stretched out on the couch as he slipped out of the sleeping bag and went outside to sit on the balcony.

 

The morning breeze made him tug on his sweater tighter but it helped to clear his mind. He closed his eyes and inhaled the cool air to chase away the ghastly images of Yancy being torn in pieces, feeling the pain radiating to the tips of his fingers, and the monstrous alien world he witnessed that only Mako caught glimpses of.

 

Sometimes Max in his own doggy sixth sense managed to sneak out of Chuck's room and paddle towards the balcony, scratching at the glass panel until Raleigh opened it for him. There, the dog leapt onto the bench – after a few failed attempts and with Raleigh hoisting him up – and curled next to Raleigh. Once he managed to manage his heart and breathing, he would quietly return to his makeshift bed, nudge the sleepy Max towards Herc and pretend to be sleeping by the time Herc woke.

 

On those mornings, if Chuck or Herc noticed Mako tipping an extra piece of toast and bacon onto his plate, they didn't say.

 

~.~.~

 

Herc developed a taste for cooking. What initially began as scrambled eggs and peanut butter sandwiches soon became curry rice, teriyaki chicken, fettuccine alfredo and sweet and sour pork chops.

 

He found himself buying cooking books and searching up recipes on the Internet (with the help of the more tech-savvy Mako). He would spend an inordinate amount of time at the groceries, mulling over ingredients, what was already at the house and what would be needed for the recipe he wanted to try. Chuck would complain about waiting but he would always hold onto the bags of packages and containers that Herc absently handed to him.

 

The other three became Herc's guinea pigs whenever he was trying out new recipes. Some didn't turn out well and it made their stomachs churn. Others were enough to make them avoid that ingredient for a good week. Herc refused to speak about the roasted duck incident ever again and Max whimpered every time one of them turned on the oven afterwards.

 

Soon enough, he discovered what foods they loved the most. Mako loved all things sweet and sugar-filled. The more chocolate and candies (particularly gummy bears), the better. She inhaled his chocolate chip cookies and apple strudels like it was oxygen. Chuck preferred scalloped potatoes, lasagna and BBQ ribs. It took Herc some time to realize why Chuck devoured those foods like it would be his last meal because Angela used to make those. Raleigh ate anything that was placed in front of his plate, especially anything with bread and chicken-related dishes. After living on rations and Shatterdome cafeteria foods for years, home-cooked foods must taste heavenly for him.

 

It was a pleasant relief to find some common ground with Chuck since the two of them would animatedly talk about Chuck's garden and what was ripe and what dish Herc could create with them. Only a few months ago if someone suggested that father and son would bond over vegetables and food, they would have laughed.

 

~.~.~

 

Playing the piano was something Mako had not thought about in years.

 

Her mother used to teach some of the neighbourly children and Mako sat by the stairway, enrapt by the music that floated down. When she was old enough, her mother sat Mako in her lap and showed her the keys and it wasn't before long that Mako began to learn how to make music of her own.

 

Once the Kaiju attacked and she was swept away by Pentecost and his busy itinerary, she hardly had time to think about such things. There were more important things to deal with, she had scolded herself as she enviously listened to one of Nova Hyperion's crew members trill out a happy tune on an electric piano he managed to get a hold of while the rest clapped and sang along.

 

That night, she fell asleep listening to the downloaded music of Mozart and Tchaikovsky, pretending it was her mother playing.

 

Now that the war was over and there was nothing but free time on their hands, an overwhelming longing to practice and to make her fingers dance like they had once did with her mother's guidance. And every time her eyes lingered on the innocent music store near where they did groceries, she would sigh because the piano would only take room in their small house and also, it would not be fair to ask the boys to chip in and pay for something only she would selfishly used.

 

So it was to her surprise that a few weeks later, after she had taken Max out for a walk (at Herc's insistence), she had returned to find a beautiful vertical piano tucked at the corner, closest to her room.

 

She had no words to explain her joy as she gleefully hugged each of the boys (her boys). Raleigh was grinning from ear to ear and she was quietly pleased that there was such a person that knew her so well.

 

And they stayed up late listening to her play and making a few requests of their own.

 

~.~.~

 

At long last, the two mattresses for Raleigh and Herc had arrived and the two office-turned-bedrooms were ready for them.

 

It seemed a little strange for them saying goodbye to the nights spent alternating from the couch and sleeping bag and having their own rooms.

 

Mako and Chuck teased the other two for leaving most of their things unpacked despite all the room they had. They supposed it was due to the lifestyle during the war. Always on the run, most of their things left unpacked to take leave at a moment's notice, never knowing which country they would end up by the end of the day.

 

For Herc, it was more disconcerting since he had spent the good portion of the last ten years bunking with someone else, whether it was with other soldiers, his brother Scott or Chuck. Not to mention a number of years with Angela. To have his own room, all to himself, took some time to get used to.

 

The first night was maddeningly quiet. He had been so used to hearing another person's breathing near him and sensing their body warmth that the sound of just his own breaths and feeling an empty coldness around him was unfamiliar and alien to his ears.

 

The others found Herc sprawled back on the couch the second night, just to know someone was only a doorway closer.

 

It took a few more nights before he could adjust to the silence and hearing only his own heartbeat and breathing.

 

~.~.~

 

On the one year anniversary of sealing the Breach, Tendo and his family came for a visit to the house, now transformed from a shabby hut into a warm, cozy cottage.

 

The governments had invited them, of course, to a formal ceremony where the press would watch them like birds of prey and they would be forced to give stiff, bland speeches but they politely declined.

 

They were all laughing, eating and reminiscing of the old days with Tendo making playful jabs at Herc's cooking and Chuck's gardening skills. Allison chatted excitedly with Raleigh about his drawings that he had placed over the walls as Mako played a delightful piano tune that filled the entire house. Max chased the squealing boy around the house, dodging chairs and people in their game of tag.

 

Chuck's casts were finally off and only a scatter of fading scars remained. He could smile and joke like the young man that he was meant to be. He was able to have his second chance with his father and rediscovering who he was.

 

Mako could now say her father's name without wincing. The blue in her hair eventually was washed away and the desire of revenge for her family soon morphed into a desire to give piano lessons to the local children.

 

Herc was able to laugh and put the past behind him and Chuck. He was able to move on with his life, finding joy and meaning in the little things. The soldier in him was quietly retreating and he was learning to be a father again.

 

Raleigh no longer had to keep watching over his shoulder for his brother's ghost or for those aliens he'd once seen from the Breach. He could take photos and draw pictures of the future and of his newfound family.

 

They finally found their peace and they were all home.


End file.
